kenney



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. G. KENNEY.

RAILROAD FREIGHT GAR.

No. 445,526. Patented Jan. 27, 1891.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- J. G. KENNEY.

RAILROAD FREIGHT GAR. r N0. 445,526. Patented Jan. 27,1891

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WITNESSES. INVENTOR.

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Nrrnn STATES PATENT truce.

JOHN O. KENNEY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDXVIN G. MERRIAM, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILROAD FREIGHT-OAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,526, dated January 27, 1891.

Application filed May 20, 1890. Serial No. 352A55. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. KENNEY, a citi zen of the United States, residing in the city .of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Freight-Oars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of myinvention is to dispense with the necessity of having different kinds of freight-cars for the transportation of the various classes of freight. I propose to accomplish this by adapting a single car, by means of internal arrangements and devices, hereinafter described, to the accommodation and carriage of the various classes of freight for which, in present practice, separate and differently constructed cars are required.

My invention consists in providing an open or slatted car with an upper and lower series of doors or iiaps pivoted to the sides of the car in such a manner as to close the slatted portion when in a vertical position to form a box-car, and adapted to assume a horizontal position out of the way of the sides, the combined width of the lower section being equal to the width of the car, the attachments for the lower doors adapting them to assume a horizontal position, whereby the car may be divided into upper and lower compartments, or a vertical position either longitudinally or transversely of the car, whereby either aboxcar or a stall-car may be formed.

The invention also consists in a novel arrangement of adjustable hay-racks and watertroughs located within the car, all of which will hereinafter more fully appear.

The following description will explain my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference denote like parts in the several figures, and in which-- Figure 1 is a side view of railroad-car constructed as a cattle-car with one end of the side of the car removed, showing three of the changes of the internal arrangements to which myimproved car is susceptible. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are part cross-sections of my improved car, Fig. 2 showing the arrangement for transporting cattle; Fig. 3, the same as Fig. 2, but arranged for feeding and ,wat-

ering the cattle; Fig. at as arranged for a double-deck car for transporting sheep, hogs, &c.; Fig. 5 as arranged for a stall cattle-car, and Fig. 6 as arranged for a closed or box freight-car. Fig. 7 the doors or flaps, hereinafter referred to as D and D. Figs. 8, 10, and 12 are views of the separate parts which go to make up the hinges used in the changes in my car. Figs.

9,11, and 13 are, respectively, views of the hooks and eyes used in securing the upper laps and hay-racks, hereinafter described, up under the roof of the car, a perspective view of the sectional trouglncastings, with one end thereof removed, and of the movable crossbeam used to support the upper fioor in the double deck car, and the stall partitions. Fig. 1a represents a cross-section of the ear, the right-hand side showing the flap D down,

flap D against the side of the car, and hayrack H down, the left-hand side showing flap D and hay-rack 11 up against the under side of the roof. Fig. 15 is an elevation of a portion of the adjacent ends of two feed-troughs.

Fig. 16 is an end elevation of one of the feedtroughs, the dotted lines indicating its lowered position. Fig. 17 is a detail view showing the manner of securing the doors to the sides of the car. Fig. 18 is an end view of the hinge-bolt (Z in position to connect with door D when used as a stall, the dotted line showing its position when the doors are horizontal.- Fig. 19 is a side view of the car-door, showing in dotted lines the grooves in side of doorframe for the reception of bull-board; Fig. 20,

front view of door-frame. Fig. 21 is a crosssection of the same on line 21 21 of Fig. 20. Fig. 22 is a portion of one of the doors, showing corner cut away to accommodate bolt cl.

In constructing a carA for my combination igo devices I put in a horizontal beam B along each side of the car and secure it to the uprights 0. are preferably placed so as to divide the ends of the car on either side of the car-door into 5 several parts or sections, the object of this being to have an uprightor riser at each joint made by the opposing ends of the doors or flaps D D when the same are raised and lowered to the sides of the car. The height roe is a perspective view of 55 The uprights on the side of the car i of the horizontal beam 13 and the thickness of its material must be such as to make a elose-fittin g flush joint with the doors or flaps when the lower ones D are raised and the upperones D are lowered against the sides of the-car, as hereinafter specified. I place in the car a series of sectional doors or flaps D D and secure them in the car by hinges E, especially designed for this purpose. When not in use, I raise the upper flaps D out of the way by turning them up under the roof of the car and fastening them to the roof crossbeams, preferably by hooks and eyes a a. The shape and size of the lower flaps D are such that when they are secured by the hinges E along each side of the floor of the car (as they are generally) and let down flat upon the floor they form a continuous false floor to the car, as shown in Fig. 1 and at lower right-- hand corner of Figs. 2, 3, and 1t.

On two corners of the flaps of doors D and and D, I secure the hinge-piece Z). The other part of the hinge E is formed by the flattened eye and of a bolt (Z, which is provided with a collar or shoulder in the shank of the bolt near its head. This bolt (Z is let through the framing of the car and fastened by the nut e, as shown in Fig. 17, so that it can be turned, as hereinafter described. The two parts b and d are secured together in forming the hinges E by a specially-constructed pintle or connecting-bolt g, as shown in Fig. 12, which is formed with a knuckle-joint, so that it can be passed through the eyes in the pieces I) and cl and the jointed end turned down or at right angles to the shaft of the bolt, thereby preventing its withdrawal until it is straightened again. The belt g is provided with a light chain or cord, which is useful in secur ing it, so that it will not be lost when not being used.

The foot-board F along the bottom of each side of the car forms a convenient wall for the flaps D to rest against; when they are turned up against the side of the car, and makes a tight joint along the bottom. I cover the joint made by the edges of the horizontal beam B and the edges of the flaps D and ,D when they are raised up and lowered, respectively,to the sides of the car with sectionalsemicylindrical castings G, formed with closed ends and with flanged sides I. The ends of the flanges Z are formed with lugs m, projecting perpendicularly back from the fiat face of the flange and formed with a hole to receive the securing-bolt g when they are fastened by the bolts (Z in a vertical position against the sides of the car, and permitting them to be let down to a horizontal position, as hereinafter described.

Secured at one of their edges to the roof cross-beams of the car by hinges are the open frames H. These frames are kept up out of the way when not being used, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, 5, 6, and 14:, by hooks and eyes a a, so that they can be released therefrom and swung to the sides of the car and fastened there, forming a hay-rackfor feeding cattle.

The ends of my car I make closed as a whole, with three openings cut therein, two in the upper part, one 011 either side at a convenient position, through which to put hay into the hay-racks when feeding cattle, and one 1 near the bottom, useful as a ventilator, and also for putting in long rails and pipe, which could not be put in at the side doors. I preferably close these openings by two sets of sliding doors, one set closed doors sliding in grooves on the inside of the car and open slat doors sliding in grooves on the outside of the car.

When it is desired to use the car as a cattle-car, the lower flaps D are left down, forming a false floor to the ear, and the upper flaps D" and hay-racks II seen red to the under side of the roo'f,-and the semi-cylindricalcastings G secured against the sides of the car by the fastening-bolts (l and g, as shown in Fig. 2.

hen it is desired to feed and water the cattle, the interior of the car is arranged as shown in Fig. 3 and at S in Fig. 1. To do this the hay racks II are loosened from their hook-and-eye fastenings under the roof and swung and secured to the sides of the car. It is preferable to let down the upper flaps D before letting the hay-racks down, in order to prevent sparks setting fire to the hay. The bolts 9 in the upper edge of the troughcas-tings G are withdrawn from the eyes in the edge thereof and the eyes in the bolts (1, thereby letting the troughs down to a horizontal position. They are supported in this position by a toggle-jointed rod 72 secured to the trough-castings and to the sides of the car in such manner that the rods will double inside the troughs when they are turned to a vertical position.

lVhen it is desired to make a double-deck car for the transportation of small stock, as shown in Fig. 4, the lower flaps D are released from their fastenings along the lower edge of the car and fastened to correspondingbolts (Z let in the frame B. the flaps D form the upper floor of the car and are supported by removable cross-beams K, for the ends of which suitable notches are out in the side slats of the car. The beams K are strengthened by the chains k, of convenient length, permanently secured to the roof cross-beams of the car and to the cross-beams K. The chains 7; are also useful in preventing the pieces K from becoming lost or mislaid when not in use. The cross-beams K are also used to brace the flaps D when they are turned on edge across the car, so as to form a stall cattle-car, as shown in Fig. 5, and at S in Fig. 1. .To do this the lower flap D is released from one of the hinge-bolts (Z by withdrawing the bolt g, thus permitting that corner of the flap to be raised up toward the beam B to a vertical position; the bolt cl, by which it is still secured to the other corner,

When in this position,

turning with the flap. When raised to the vertical position, the bolt 9 is placed through the eye'of the bolt d,'let into the beam 13, and the eye in the hinge-piece I), thus securing it at the top and bottom.

To make a closed or box car, as shown in Fig. 6 and at S in Fig. 1, the lower flaps D are raised and the upper flaps D lowered to the sides of the car, and are secured in this position by the overlapping of the flange edges Z of the semi-cylindrical castings G. The castings G are themselves secured by passing the bolts 9 through the eyes in the lugs m in the edge thereof and the eyes in the bolts (Z.

I cut a groove in each of the facing sides of the two car-door posts from the top of the car down to level with the lower edge of the beam B, as shown in Figs. 19, 20, and 21. The object of this is to accommodate the ends of a eross-piece (not shown in the drawings) corresponding to the beam B. hen this piece is let down it will be useful as a bnllboard in the cattlecar, and is necessary as a continuation of the beam B in forming the double-deck car and the box-car. When not in use, it can be pushed up to the top of the car and secured there by some convenient means.

I claim- 1. The combination, with a car, of two doors whose combined width equals the width of the car, said doors having swivel-connections with the sides of the car, whereby they may be arranged vertically and horizontally to form either a false bottom or partitions in said car, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination, with a car having slatted sides, of a series of doors and swivel-eonnections between said doors and the sides of the car, whereby said doors may be arranged vertically and longitudinally and vertically and transversely in the car, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a freight-car, the coinbinatio1i,witli the open orslatted sides, of a series of upper and lower doors whose combined width equals the slatted portion of the car, the combined width of the lower doors being equal to the width of the car, and two sets of swivel-bolts and eyes in the sides of the ear, to which the inner edges of the doors are hinged, whereby said car maybe divided into a series of compartments or stalls, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a freight-car, the combination, with the open or slatted sides, of a series of upper and lower doors whose combined width equals the slatted portion of the car, the combined width of the lower doors being equal to the width of the car, two sets of swivel-bolts and eyes for the lower doors arranged at the sides of the car, to which said doors are detachably secured through the medium of hinges on their inner edges, whereby said car may be divided into a series of compartments or stalls, and a series of slatted sections hinged at one edge to the top of the car and adapted to be connected at their opposite edge to the sides of the car at an angle thereto, substantially as and for the purposes described. a

5. In a railroad freight-ear, the combination of a car constructed as a cattle-car, with lower flaps secured to the lower edge of the sides of the car by hinges with removable pintles and forming a false bottom to the car, upper flaps hinged to the upper edges of the sides of the car in such a manner as to drop to the sides of the car, frames secured by hinges to the roof of the car and capable of being swung and secured to the sides of the car,

forming feeding-racks, semicircular troughs secured to the sides of the car in such a man- .ner as to permit them to be lowered to a horizontal position for watering the cattle, and jointed supporting-rods for the troughs, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. In a freight-car, the combination, with the open or slatted sides, of a series of upper and lower doors whose combined width equals the slatted portion of the car, swivel-bolts and eyes arranged on the sides of the car, a series of slatted sections hinged at one edge to the top of the car, to which said doors are hinged at their inner edges and adapted to be connected at the opposite edges with the side of the car at an angle thereto, and a series of removable water-troughs pivoted to the sides of the car, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 12th day of May, 1890.

JOHN C. KENNEY.

Witnesses:

J. W. CRooKEs J. L. HORNSBY. 

